The Bayeux Tapestry

THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY

The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, andculminating in the Battle of Hastings. The tapestry consists of some fifty scenes annotated in Latin, embroidered on linen with coloured woollen yarns.
The Bayeux tapestry consists of eight longstrips of unbleached linen which have been sewn together to form a continuous panel - this linen forms the background of the Bayeux tapestry. The Bayeux tapestry is about 20 inches high and 230 feet long.The exact length of the original tapestry is unknown as the final panel is incomplete. There is a saying that history is always written by the victors and the Bayeux Tapestry depicts events from atotally Norman perspective.
What are on the borders of the Tapestry? The upper and lower borders of the Bayeux tapestry are filled with mythological figures, lions, dragons, farming and Hunting andscenes from Aesops fables. The significance of the scenes has been debated and there are views that believe the themes of deceit,  and unlawful possession in the fables have been used as a vehicle by theEnglish embroiders to express their dissent and horror of the Norman invasion of Britain.There is a romantic story in which the wife of King William the Conqueror, Queen Matilda, made the tapestrywith the help of her ladies in honor of her husband. The truth is that the tapestry was made in England. The style of the needlework was similar to that of English needle work and the fine quality ofEnglish needlework was renowned throughout France. Bishop Odo would have chosen the most skilled embroiderers for the task of creating the Bayeux Tapestry. The most talented embroiderers of the periodwere the noble Saxon women who had chosen to spend their life in a nunnery, or convent. Nuns of noble backgrounds spent much of their time on embroidery - menial tasks in the convent were given to...